Sikhs plead Obama to coax Singh on 1984 riots

Published: Monday, November 23, 2009, 11:43 [IST]

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Chandigarh, Nov 23: Irked by the delayed justice to the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, two Sikh organisations have written to US President Barack Obama to take up the issue in his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to be held on Tuesday, Nov 24.

Naming top congressmen like Kamal Nath, Arjun Singh, Arun Nehru, Vasant Sathe, Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar, HKL Bhagat and Dharamdas Shastri as the accussed in the horrific movement, US-based human rights advocacy group Sikhs for Justice and Punjab-based All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) said that the government instead of punishing them for their heinous acts was offering them public positions.

"In November 1984, thousands of innocent human beings were killed, butchered, slaughtered, maimed and burnt in Delhi and more than 100 cities in 18 Indian states. The victims were only Sikhs and they were targeted and killed solely because of their religion. The killings were instigated and led by leaders who had taken oath under the Indian constitution to protect the lives of citizens," the letter says.